Josep Masriera Vidal completed his apprenticeship and went on to open his first workshop in Carrer Vigatans, Barcelona.

1841

At the same time that he started out on his career as a jeweller, Josep Masriera also got married to Eulàlia Manovens i Roldós, with whom he had three children. Not only did the Masriera children have to lend a helping hand in the family business, but they also went on to become some of the most important names in Catalan art at the end of the 19th century.

1868

They participated as jewellers in the Aragonese Exhibition held in Saragossa where they won prizes.

1872

Masriera and Sons moved their headquarters to Carrer Ferran VIII, one of the busiest shopping streets in the city. The new shop, Joyería y Platería de J. Masriera e Hijos (J. Masriera and Sons, Jewellers and Silversmiths), was designed by the architect Rafael Guastavino, with the help of a large number of artists and industrialists of the time.

1888

They won the gold medal for the various jewellery and silversmithery pieces they presented at the Barcelona Universal Exposition, as well as the only prize awarded for the presentation of the pieces. The display cabinet they used to present the works is kept in the flagship store in Barcelona.

1894

In the 2nd Exposición General de Bellas Artes (General Fine Arts Exhibition) in Barcelona they were awarded a Diploma of Honour.

1901

21 December, Saint Thomas’s Day, became a legendary day in the history of the firm, as it was the day on which Lluís Masriera publically displayed his modernist and Art Nouveau-style designs for the first time, to achieve great success all round. After his training in Geneva he wanted to apply the plique-à-jour technique to his work.

1910

At the Salon de Beaux Arts in Paris, Masriera won a first place medal.

1915

The fusion of two jewellery dynasties : the Masriera family and the Carreras family, with a long tradition of goldsmithery. The company moved to Passeig de Gràcia 26, perfectly located right in the city centre, in the most prestigious area of the Eixample district.

1917

Josep Bagués i Bagués set up home in Barcelona, having grown up in a country house in Molina de Lletó, part of the Cerc municipality in the Alt Urgell, he married Maria Cerqueda i Olm, who came from Vilanova de Banat, also in Cerc. They went on to have 5 children.

1920

Masriera was given an honourable mention at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français (Society of French Artists Salon) in Paris.

1929

Their success in Paris then continued at the International Exposition in Barcelona in 1929, where Masriera and Carreras presented their pieces. The display cabinets they used to present their pieces are kept in the flagship store in Barcelona.

1950

The Bagués firm set up shop on the ground floor of Casa Amatller, one of the most famous modernist buildings in Barcelona, located next door to one of Antoni Gaudí’s most important works, Casa Batlló. This establishment is still the company’s flagship store in Barcelona.

The Barcelona Tourist Board awarded Bagués-Masriera a diploma in recognition of its collaboration in making Barcelona a shopping city of international prestige, and as a founding member of the Barcelona Shopping Line.

2004

Bagués Masriera won a prize at the “Diamonds : Nature’s Miracle” edition of the International Design Competition, awarded by the Diamond Trading Company.

2014

The firm is celebrating its 175th anniversary, which makes it one of the longest-standing creative jewellery designers in Europe. This is why the company is paying homage in two kinds. One to the world of jewellery and the work of a jeweller, with a jewel from the Masriera collection, and another from Bagués’ Barcelona collection, as a tribute to the city that has watched them grow.

1840

In the final days of the Carlist wars, a wholesale jewellers’ was set up in Carrer Vigatans, Barcelona.

1860

The Masriera jewellers took part in La Exposición Industrial y Artística de Productos del Principado de Cataluña (Industrial and Artistic Exhibition of Products from the Principality of Catalonia) in Barcelona, where it was shown that Catalan industry went far beyond just the cotton industry.

1871

Josep Masriera i Manovens was part of the organising committee for the Exposición General Catalana (General Catalan Exhibition) in Barcelona. The Masriera family exhibited a series of pieces, both jewellery and goldsmithery, where they were awarded a prize for “the good taste in their silver items and mainly for their enamel work.” They were also awarded another prize and from that time they were entitled to bear the seal of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (The Economic Society of Friends of the Country).

1884

The Masriera brothers opened another study, the architectural project of Josep Vilaseca, who created a space akin to a classical temple, which was the most exceptional example of an artistic workshop existing in Barcelona until the end of the 19th century.

1889

One year after the Barcelona exposition, Paris once again played host to a huge Universal Exposition, where they showed a range of pieces, among which a silver urn stands out, displayed in Barcelona the year before. They were awarded the silver medal and a Jewellery and Goldsmithery Diploma. In the same year, they also took part in the Fine Arts Exhibition in Munich, where they won a medal for second place.

1900

The Paris Universal Exposition gave way to the grand triumph and recognition of Art Nouveau on an international level, which really left its artistic mark on Lluís Masriera, who took up the reins of the business alongside brother Josep. Upon returning to Barcelona he sold off the stock of jewels in his workshop and set forth upon a new era.

1907

At the 5th Exposición Internacional de Bellas Artes (International Fine Arts Exhibition) in Barcelona, Masriera was awarded two first place medals.

1911

At the International Exposition in Buenos Aires, Masriera won a silver medal.

1917

The Barcelona City Council awarded “Masriera Hermanos y Joaquín Carreras” the prize for the best establishment in the city.

1920

Masriera was awarded a prize at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Fine Arts Exhibition) in Madrid.

1925

At the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts Exhibition) in Paris, Masriera-Carreras took part in the Foment de les Arts Decoratives (FAD, Decorative Arts Promotion), which had two spaces at the exhibition. Lluís Masriera took charge of the installation for the dome in the Grand Palais. Masriera’s creation was of the highest quality. The Masriera-Carreras company received a Diploma as member of the judging panel in the jewellery section and another diploma for theatre set design, for their links with the world of theatre.

1933

Masriera played an important role in the Monographic Exhibition, La Taula Parada, organised by the FAD (Decorative Arts Promotion).

1969

The Bagués firm was run by the Bagués brothers, Narcís and Amadeu, heirs to a long tradition of prestigious jewellery founded in 1917 by Josep Bagués i Bagués; they made a name for themselves as a symbol of luxury jewellery and gems in Barcelona. They acquired 50% of the Masriera company, thus heralding in a new age of renewal.

At the Fira Internacional de Barcelona (Barcelona International Trade Fair), Bagués Masriera won the fair’s medal of merit, in the gold category for belonging to the Executive Committee of the institution.

2006

At Europe’s Premier Creative Awards Event in Istanbul, Bagués was awarded the title “Epic Print Winner” in the Footwear & Personal Accessories category and the Silver Epica in the photography category in the 19th edition of the Epica Marketing Awards for Bagués’ graphic campaign entitled “You are the Jewel”, produced by Bassat Ogilvy Barcelona.